Shock-absorber.



E. L. FULLER & P. E. DE ROCHEMONT.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATI N men JULY 24. 1911.

Patented Mar. 18,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. L. FULLER & P. E. DE ROCHEMONT.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

' 91T- l,297,827. Patented Mar. 18,1919.

E. L. FULLER & P. E. DE ROCHEMONT.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLIC L 19H. 1,2976%". Patented Mar. 18,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

w /g. 774/55 fir ra y/5y:

- devised to resist the throw of the car body ELMER, L. FULLER, OF ARLINGTON, AND PERCY E. DE ROGHEMONT, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Application filed July 24, 1917. Serial No. 182,522.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELMER L. FULLER and PERCY E. on ROCHEMONT, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Arlington, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, and at Medford, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shock-Absorbers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to shock absorbers which are used u'pon motor cars to resist the throw of the car body under the influence of road inequalities.

Many types of shock absorbers have been under road inequalities, but all of these different types have developed serious faults in operation, and have not successfully accomplished the function for which they were designed.

The object of thepresent invention is to produce a shock absorber which will operate to resist the throw of a car body under road inequalities in a positive manner without the use of s'prin fluid pressure devices or delicate parts liable to get out of order or require frequent attention, which will permit the use of a lighter and more flexible body supporting spring than heretofore considered necessary and which will operate in an eflicient manner to resist abnormal throw of the car body without liability of breaking the spring or racking the ear.

To the accomplishment of this object, and such others as may hereinafter appear, the features of the present invention relate to certain devices, combinations and arrange ments of parts fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the appended claims.

The various features of the present invention will be readily understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings illustrating the best form of the invention at present devised, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the shock ab sorber positioned on a car body;

Fig. 2 is a plan;

Fig. 3 is a sectional lan;

Fig. 3 is a detail ilustrating the tool for adjusting the initial pressure on the disks shown in Figs. 5 and 6;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line M, Fig. 3, showing the split disk for receiving the end thrust of the oscillating shaft;

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on the line 5:5, Fig. 3, showing one of the disks carrled by the housing;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the line 66, Fig. 3, showing one of the stationary disks carried b the oscillating shaft; dl ]3l{ig. 7 is an e ovation of the stationary cam Fig. 8 is an elevation of the cam disk on the oscillating haft;

Fig. 9 is a detail in plan showing the engagement of the cam disks, and

Fig. 10 is a sectional plan of the cam disks.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention the shock absorber is mounted in a housing 1 which is secured by bolts 2 to the car body. The housing 1 is provided with internal and external threads 3 and 4 upon which are threaded, respectively, a plate 5 and a cap 6. The plate 5 is provided with a step bearing for a headed shaft 7 which is oscillated in the bearing, responsive to the throw of the car body, through an arm 8 connected to the shaft and the axle of the oar by any of the usual means found desirable or expedient. The end thrust of the shaft 7 is exerted on a split disk 9 (Fig. 4) which loosely engages a groove 10, formed on the shaft 7 and which is held in a stationary position on the housing 1 by a series of teeth 11, formed on the disk, interlocked with a series of longitudinal grooves 12 formed on a portion of the interior of the housing 1.

In order to resist the oscillating movement of the shaft 7 responsive to the throw of the car body the shock absorber is provided with a plurality of friction surfaces which move relatively while held together under pressure. These surfaces are formed upon an alternate series of disks 13 and 14: carried, respectively, by the shaft 7 and housing 1.. The disks 13 are provided with internal teeth 15 which are interlocked with a series of longitudinal grooves 16 formed on a portion of the shaft 7 lhe disks i i are provided with external teeth 17 which are inter- This method of mounting the disks. on the shaft and housing is highly eflicient as it facilitates the assembling of the disks in position and enablesthemto move relatively under pressure with a minimum of liability ofthe disks working loose and thus becoming noisy.

The pressure between the disks 13 and 14 is initially regulated by a mechanism presently to be described. During the operation of the car this initial pressure is automatically increased in a manner directly proportional to the throw of the car body under road inequalities. To this end the grooves 12 receive teeth 18 formed upon the periphery of a disk 19. The disk 19 carries an 20 which engages a irregular cam surface similar cam surface 21 on a disk 22 having internal teeth 23 thereon engaged with the grooves 16 on the shaft 7. The disk 22 1s pressed upon by a plug 24 adjustably carried by the cap 6. The cam surfaces 20 and 21 are so arranged that when the shaft 7 is oscillated under the influence of the throw of the car body, the disks 13 and 14 will be wedged closer together thus increasing the pressure on the friction surfaces.

The inclines on the cam surfaces 20 and 21 are designed to increase the pressure for resisting theoscillation of the shaft 7 responsive to the throw of the car body, in a manner directly proportional to the said throw.

In order to regulate the initial pressure of the friction disks, the plug 24 is provided with a series of teeth 25 which may be engaged by a pinion 26 on a shank 27 of a hand operated tool 28 (Fig. 3 Durin the use of the tool 28 the end of the shank 27 fits in a socket 29 formed in the cap 6. To retain the adjustable position of the plug 24 the cap 6 carries a dog 30 which is provided with teeth 31 for engagement with the teeth on the plug 24. The dog 30 is removed to permit the insertion of the shank 27 in the socket 29 and is thereafter rep%aced to retain the adjusted position of the p ug.

' By means of the adjustable plug 24 the shock absorber may be regulated for use on all kinds of cars. For instance, if the absor'ber is to be used on a truck or other heavy duty car, the plug will be adjusted to place an initial heavy pressure on the disks,

while if the absorber is to be used on a light I plea-sure car, the initial pressure will be reduced. I

It will .be noted that the oscillation of the shaft 7 under the throw of the car body under road equalities is resisted in both directions, that is, upon upward and downward movement of the car body beyond its normal operating position. It may he desirable to vary the time interval at which the meme? pressure on the disks is increased after the car body is thrown under road inequalities. That is, it may be desirable to allow the disks to move relatively under the initial pressure for an interval of time before the pressure automatically increases when the throw of the car body under road inequalities is upward and to immediately increase the pressure on the disks when the car body passes downwardly beyond the normal operating position. In order to permit this differential action of the shock absorber, the disk 22 may be removed and then replaced with the cam surface 21 engaged with a difi'erent portion of the cam surface 20.

From the foregoing description of the construction and mode of operation of the shock absorber it will be apparent that it is simple, compact and stron in construction without working parts lia Is to get out of order or cause annoyance by becoming noisy. As the absorber resists the throw of the car body in both directions beyond the normal operating point it will be apparent that the shock absorber will operate equally well on I either side or the rear of the car and consequently no special construction or marking is necessary to indicate rights and lefts or tops and bottoms.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art and with the general objects of the present invention in view, that changes may be made in the details of structure, the described and illustrated embodiment thereof being intended as an exploitation of its underlying essentials, the features thereof being definitely stated in their true scope in the claims herewith.

What is claimed as new, is

1. A- shock absorber, having, in combination, an oscillating shaft responsive to the throw of the car body under road inequalities; a set of disks comprising a plurality of non-rotatable disks and a plurality of friction disks on the shaft engaged with the other disks, said disks cooperating to resist movement of the shaft responsive to the throw of the car body, a second set of disks comprising a non-rotatable disk and a disk on the shaft cooperating to press the first set of disks together with a variable, pressure during the oscillating movement of the shaft; and an adjustable plugbearing upon one of the disks of the second set for initially regulating the pressure on the disks of the first set.

2. A shock absorber, having, in combina tion, an oscillating shaft responsive to the throw of a car body having a grooved por tion, a housing therefor provided with bear ings for the shaft and with internal grooves therein, a plurality of disks mounted to alternateiy engage the. grooves in the shaft and housing and relatively movable in engagement to resist the oscillating movement of engaged cam surfaces on the second set of of the shaft, a second set of disks mounted disks for \vedging the first set of disks toto engage the grooves on the shaft and gether during the'oscillating movement of 10 housing, respectively, a plug adjustable on the shaft.

the housing to engage one of the disks of the second set to regulate the initial pres- ELMER L. FULLER.

sure on the first set of disks, and a plurality PERCY E. DE ROCHEMONT.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

